Garment having elasticized waistband with pocket

ABSTRACT

A garment is provided that has a waistband, and a segment of fabric connected to the waistband. The waistband and the segment of fabric are connected to form a pocket. A pocket connected to a garment having waistband, the pocket having a first segment of fabric, and a second segment of fabric. One of the first segment of fabric and the second segment of fabric is a portion of a waistband of the garment and the other of the first segment of fabric and the second segment of fabric is attached to the waist band to form the pocket.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/494,145 filed on Jun. 7, 2011, which is incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This disclosure relates to a garment with a built-in pocket for carryingsmall items. More particularly, this disclosure relates to a garmentwith an elasticized waistband with a built-in pocket for carrying smallitems.

2. Description of Related Art

Currently, there exist different accessories for carrying smallvaluables for hands free movement, or during athletic activity orexercise. Typically such accessories are small purses or wristlets thatare often worn by women. There are also small pockets for women that maybe worn in the brassiere or at other locations close to the body forsuch purposes. However, there do not exist any articles of clothing, forwomen and particularly for men, for discretely and securely carryingsmall personal items during exercise or athletic activity.

Accordingly, there is a need for a simple and discrete pocket or pouchthat is built into a garment having an elasticized waist to enableindividual to carry small items securely to leave their hands free forexercising and athletic activity.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure provides for a pocket that is integral to awaistband of a garment.

The present disclosure also provides for an elasticized pocket that isintegral with the waistband of a garment to securely hold smallvaluables and items.

The present disclosure further provides for a garment that has anelasticized pocket that is made from the same or similar material as awaistband of such athletic garment to securely hold small valuables anditems.

The present disclosure still further provides for a garment having anelasticized waist that has a pocket that is made from the same orsimilar material as the waistband of such garment and has a closure tosecurely hold small valuable and items. Such garment is a male athleticsupporter, swimming trunks, athletic shorts, a woman's undergarment orswimming suit bikini.

A garment is provided that has a waistband, and a segment of fabricconnected to the waistband. The waistband and the segment of fabric areconnected to form a pocket.

A pocket connected to a garment having waistband, the pocket having afirst segment of fabric, and a second segment of fabric. One of thefirst segment of fabric and the second segment of fabric is a portion ofa waistband of the garment and the other of the first segment of fabricand the second segment of fabric is attached to the waist band to formthe pocket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a front perspective view of the pocket of the presentdisclosure in an opened configuration; as part of a waistband of agarment, a male athletic supporter;

FIG. 2 illustrates the garment of FIG. 1 showing the detail of thepocket in a closed configuration, according to the present disclosure;and

FIG. 3 illustrates the garment of FIG. 1 showing the detail of thepocket in an opened orientation, according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 a illustrates a front side of men's athletic shorts that have apocket, according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 b illustrates a rear side of the men's athletic shorts of FIG. 4a, showing the pocket in an opened configuration, according to thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates swimming trunks having a pocket, according to thepresent disclosure, in an opened configuration;

FIG. 6 a illustrates a front side of a woman's undergarment that has apocket, according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 b illustrates a rear side of the women's undergarment of FIG. 6a, that has a pocket, according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates the rear side of the lower part of a woman's swimmingsuit or a panty that has pocket, according to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings and, in particular to FIG. 1 a garmentaccording to the present disclosure is shown and referenced by referencenumeral 10. Garment 10, shown as a man's athletic supporter, includes awaistband 15 and a pouch 20 connected to waistband 15 for supportingmale genital organs during exercise or similar physical activity.Garment 10 is shown as having two leg straps 25 that are each attachedto waistband 15 and to the bottom of pouch 20. Garment 10 includes apocket 30, according to the present disclosure, that is above pouch 20.FIG. 1 references garment 10 that is structured as a man's athleticsupporter, however, garment 10 may be a different garment, such as thosediscussed below, that have an elasticized waistband 15 and are oftenworn during athletic activity or exercise at a time when valuables mustbe stored on the person and when such valuables cannot be held in thehands.

Referring to FIG. 2, a detailed view of front of garment 10 showswaistband 15, and a pocket 30. Waistband 15 can be of a standard widthsuch as 1 inch, 2 inches or 3 inches. Further, four inch waistbands arepossible for certain sports. Pocket 30 is formed by a segment of fabric35 and waistband 15. Segment of fabric 35 is sewn to waistband 15 suchthat an opening 32 (not shown) is formed between waistband 15 andsegment of fabric 35. A segment of fabric 40 that is a part of waistband15 is opposite segment of fabric 35. Accordingly, pocket 30 has twosegments of fabric, namely segment of fabric 35 and segment of fabric40, where segment of fabric 40 is integral with, or part of, waistband15. Segment of fabric 35 is secured to waistband 15 by sewing. Segmentof fabric 35 is the same width as waistband 15 to seamlessly blend withwaistband 15 to form pocket 30. Segment of fabric 35 is also made fromthe same or similar elasticized material as waistband 15. FIG. 1 showssegment of fabric 35 secured to an outer or facing surface of waistband15. Alternatively, segment of fabric 35 could also be secured at insideof waistband 15 to form pocket 30, such in garments in which waistbandis covered with fabric of clothing to which waistband 15 is connected,as shown in FIG. 4 b.

Segment of fabric 35 is shown as being rectangular, although other foursided shapes such as a square, a parallelogram, or a quadrilateral mayalso be used for the shape of segment of fabric 35. When segment offabric 35 is four sided, such segment is sewn to waistband 15 on threesides. Alternatively, segment of fabric 35 could also have a triangularshape or a semi-circular shape, in which, segment of fabric 35 issecured to waistband 15 on two sides or along a semi-perimeter,respectively.

Referring to FIG. 3, segment of fabric 35 of pocket 30 is movable orstretchable relative to waistband 15 to provide access to contentswithin pocket 30. In particular segment of fabric 35, or both segment offabric 35 and waistband 15 can be moved or stretched to provide accessto contents of pocket 30. Segment of fabric 35 is secured, to waistband15 to form pocket 30. Opening 32 may be oriented facing upward towardsthe face of the wearer or along the circumference or perimeter ofwaistband 15 such that pocket 30 opens to the left or right side.

Pocket 30 can be of different sizes depending upon the height ofwaistband 15. Pocket 30 has the same height as the height of waistband15. Accordingly, the size of pocket 30, specifically height and width ofpocket 30, can be varied according to the desires of the manufacturer.In an alternative embodiment, additional pocket 30 or a plurality ofpockets can be added to garment 10 at different locations alongwaistband 15.

Referring to FIG. 3, pocket 30 has a closure mechanism 50 that can be ahook and eye closure, snaps or buttons. Closure mechanism 50 is disposedon inside of segment of fabric 35, facing body of wearer, and on outsideof segment of fabric 40, away from body of wearer, for simple and secureclosing of pocket 30. Pocket 30 is sized to hold small items andvaluables such as money, a locker key or a license. Closure mechanism 50together with elasticized segment fabric 35 and elasticized fabric ofwaistband 15 and, in particular, of segment of fabric 40 ensure thatvaluables will be secure inside of pocket 30 during active movement thatcharacterizes exercise.

Referring to FIGS. 4 a and 4 b, garment 10 is structured as a pair ofathletic shorts 60 often worn by men. Athletic shorts 60 have awaistband 15; however, do not contain a pocket typically connected to aside seam. Accordingly, garment 10 has pocket 30 at front. As shownabove with regard to FIGS. 1 through 3, pocket 30 has segment of fabric35 and a segment of fabric 40 that is integral and actually part ofwaistband 15. Further, and as shown in FIG. 4 b, segment of fabric 35 isconnected to inside of waistband 15 to form pocket 30. Alternatively, asnoted above, pocket could be located along the side or at the rear ofathletic shorts, as opposed to the front of garment.

FIG. 5 shows a pair of swimming trunks 70. Swimming trunks 70 have apocket 30 formed from segment of fabric 35 and waist band 15. Inparticular, pocket 30 has a segment of fabric 35 and a segment of fabric40 that is integral with waistband 15. FIG. 5 shows segment of fabric 35that is attached inside of waistband 15.

Referring to FIGS. 6 a and 6 b, shows a woman's undergarment 80.Undergarment 80 has a waistband 15 and a pocket 30 at front side ofundergarment 80. As shown above with regard to FIGS. 1 through 5, pocket30 is formed from a segment of fabric 35 and waistband 15. Segment offabric 35 is connected to waistband, preferably by sewing. Segment offabric 40 is part of waistband 15 and is opposite segment of fabric 35.Undergarment 80 shows pocket 30 located towards the right side of thegarment or towards the right hip of the wearer. Alternatively, pocketcould be located above the buttocks of the wearer in the rear of garment10.

FIG. 7 shows garment 10 as a bikini bottom (or panty) 90, such as thosecommonly worn as part of a bathing suit. Panty 90 has two pockets 30 and31, one pocket at the front of panty 90 and another pocket at the rearof panty 90. Each pocket 30 and 31 has a segment of fabric 35 and asegment of fabric 40 that is integral with waistband 15. Garment 10 ofthe present disclosure could have a plurality of pockets along waistband15.

Segment of fabric 35 is easily incorporated into the existingmanufacturing process of garment 10, of the various types disclosedherein, to form pocket 30. Additionally, pocket 30 is easily beincorporated into male and female undergarments. The sewing of pocket 30is additional simple step during the sewing of garment 10. During thesewing process, fabric 35 is sewn to waistband 15 to make pocket. 30.Waistband 15 and segment of fabric 35 that form pocket are made frommaterial that incorporates an elasticized material such as rubber, or asynthetic elastomer. Waistband 15, including segment of fabric 40, andsegment of fabric 35 are moved apart by wearer of garment 10 to secureitems between segment of fabric and waistband 15 that form pocket 30.

Although the present disclosure describes in detail certain embodiments,it is understood that variations and modifications exist known to thoseskilled in the art that are within the disclosure. Accordingly, thepresent disclosure is intended to encompass all such alternatives,modifications and variations that are within the scope of the disclosureas set forth in the disclosure.

1. A garment comprising: a waistband, and a segment of fabric connectedto said waistband, wherein said waistband and said segment of fabric areconnected to form a pocket.
 2. The garment according to claim 1, whereinsaid waistband and said segment of fabric can be moved apart forsecurement of an object therebetween.
 3. The garment according to claim1, wherein said waistband comprises an elasticized fabric connected tothe garment.
 4. The garment according to claim 1, wherein said segmentof fabric comprises an elasticized fabric.
 5. The garment according toclaim 1, wherein said waistband is made from elasticized fabric and saidsegment of fabric is made from elasticized fabric.
 6. The garmentaccording to claim 1, wherein the garment is an athletic garment, anexercise garment or an undergarment.
 7. The garment according to claim1, wherein the garment is selected from the group consisting of a maleathletic supporter, an athletic short, a swimming trunk, women'sundergarment or a bikini panty, men's briefs and women's panties.
 8. Thegarment according to claim 1 wherein the waistband comprises rubber or asynthetic elastomer.
 9. The garment according to claim 1, wherein thesegment of fabric comprises rubber or synthetic elastomer.
 10. Thegarment according to claim 1, wherein the segment of fabric comprises ashape selected from the group consisting of a square, a rectangle, aparallelogram, a quadrilateral.
 11. The garment according to claim 10,wherein said segment of fabric is connected to said waistband on threesides.
 12. The garment according to claim 1, wherein said segment offabric has a semi-circular shape and has an edge and said segment offabric is connected to said waistband at said edge.
 13. The garmentaccording to claim 1, further comprising a second segment of fabricconnected to said waistband to form a second pocket.
 14. The garmentaccording to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of segments offabric connected to said waistband to form a plurality of pockets.
 15. Apocket connected to a garment having a waistband, the pocket comprising:a first segment of fabric, and a second segment of fabric; wherein oneof said first segment of fabric and said second segment of fabric is aportion of a waistband of the garment and the other of the first segmentof fabric and the second segment of fabric is attached to the waist bandto form the pocket.
 16. The pocket according to claim 15, wherein saidfirst segment of fabric and said second segment of fabric areelasticized fabric, and wherein the elasticized fabric comprises rubberor a synthetic elastomer.
 17. The pocket according to claim 15, whereinsaid first segment of fabric is said portion of the waistband andwherein said first segment of fabric has two sides and said secondsegment of fabric is connected to either side of the first segment toform a pocket.
 18. The pocket according to claim 17, wherein said firstsegment of fabric and said second segment of fabric can be moved apartfor securement of an object therebetween.
 19. The pocket according toclaim 15, wherein the garment is an athletic garment, an exercisegarment or an undergarment.
 20. The pocket according to claim 15,wherein the garment is selected from the group consisting of a maleathletic supporter, an athletic short, a swimming trunk, a man'sundergarment, a woman's undergarment or a bikini panty.
 21. The pocketaccording to claim 17, wherein the second segment of fabric comprises ashape selected from the group consisting of a square, a rectangle, aparallelogram or a quadrilateral.
 22. The pocket according to claim 17,wherein the second segment of fabric is connected to said waistband onthree sides.
 23. The pocket according to claim 17, wherein said secondsegment of fabric has a semi-circular shape.
 24. The pocket of claim 15,wherein the pocket further comprises a closure to secure said firstsegment and said second segment.